THE LABOR PARTY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 291, 3 May 1911, Page 3

THE LABOR PARTY

FIGHTING; SI'EECII BY Mil, BARCLAY.

A branch of the New Zealand Labor l'arty was formed at South Dunedin last week, and Mr. A. li. Barclay, at the invitation of the chairman, addressed the meeting. He asked: "Were they satisfied with the state of affairs that existed politically and economically at present '!" He took it that there could be no doubt as to the 'reply. They were not satislied. For some live or six yeurs now there had been absolute stagnation as far as social reform or improvement in the conditions of the people were concerned. Nor was there any hope of improvement in the future if no change was effected. They had nothing to hope for from the Opposition party, whose creed was simply that every man should make the most ho could out of his neighbor, and that the man who succeeded in making the most was the man to be honored and protceted. (Applause.) On the other hand, the present so-called Liberal Administration held their position on purely false pretences. (Applause.) He challenged any of his hearers to point to one single measure of a really vital character in the way of reform for which the present Government was responsible. Nor had this Government the slightest inclination to do anything further in the future. Mr. Barclay proceeded to speak of the danger that existed in the generation of as lamentable a condition of affairs in this country as existed in the older countries, if we continued as we were now on exactly the' 1 same economic lines as those of the older landa. Every year added to that danger—every year the rut became deeper—and it would eventually lana the workers, who after all were the backbone of every country, and on whom we all more or less lived, in a quagmire of distress and misfortune. He urged them to infuse life into this movement, to raise the flag and rally round it and stand by it, and he prophesied that sooner or later the party would have .an overwhelming victory. (Applause.)